Together in the end!
by SkaterSince2004
Summary: This is the third installment of my Skate-Centered story. The first story is called 'How they moved on' and the sequel is called 'The long way home! I suggest you read both those stories first in order to catch on what is happening in this one. Hope you enjoy! (Rated M for later chapters)
1. How I met your mother

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**Author's Note:** I'm truly sorry for my long absence, but without going into too much detail, we had a family emergency and the aftermath of it all kept me from writing and quiet honestly from thinking about Skate for a while. We're doing better again and I finally managed to get this small but intro chapter posted! I realize it's very short, but it turns out that fluff is a lot harder to write then angst and drama … at least for me. I'm always worried that I'm boring people if there isn't some kind of intrigue going on. Also, I have not forgotten about bringing Charlie back, I'm just still undecided on how I'm going to do that.

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_Her every breath is weaker than the last  
And lately when she sleeps she talks about the past  
Her husband knows she's tired of holding on  
She looks at him and says I wanna go home_

_What do you say by Reba McEntire_

X

Knoxville, Tennessee

Summer of 2042

The office looked dark and dingy with the curtain drawn, so the first thing he did was open them up to take advantage of the natural sunlight to lighten up the room and make his search a little bit easier.

He stood in front of the wall-to-wall bookshelf and scanned the spine of the books for anything that would stand out. Every now and then he would pull one out and examine it but so far he'd had no luck in finding the one his mother had been going on and on about for the last week.

Frustrated he sat back in the old leather desk chair and sat behind his father's old wooden desk. He ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair and sighed before he dug out his cell phone from his jean pocket and made a call.

She answered on the third ring. "Hey."

"Hey." He replied, "Are you still at the nursing home?"

"Yeah. Why?" She replied.

"How is she? I mean … how is she today?"

"She's here one moment and the next she's just out of it. Talking nonsense." His sister paused for a moment and when she spoke up he could hear the emotion in her voice, "She thought I was a stranger and asked me where James was, and … that she didn't want to be here and wanted James to take her home now. It breaks my heart to see her like this."

He was equally overcome by the emotions in his sister's voice, but unlike her it made him angry, "I fuckin' hate this shit. I hate her bein' sick like that."

She sniffed into the phone, unable to speak at the onslaught of emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. When she finally could speak again, she asked the obvious question at hand, "Are you still at the house? Did you find it yet?"

"Yeah. I am." He answered, "But no, so far no luck. I was hopin' she was lucid today so you can ask her again where I can find this book."

"I will if she wakes up again and recognizes me, I'll ask her again."

"Alright." He replied, "I'm gonna keep on lookin' … maybe the third time's the charm." He tried to sound funny, but the obvious frustration was clear as day in his voice.

"Bye."

"Talk to you later." He hung up the phone and tucked it away before once again he decided to go through every drawer on the old oak desk.

Rummaging through paperwork and other nic nacs, he lifted a big pile of papers out at once out of a deep drawer, when some of the loose papers slipped out of his hands and began to scatter all over the hardwood floor beneath the desk.

"Son of a bitch!" he cursed out loud to himself as he pushed the chair back and grouched down on the floor to clean up the mess he'd just made.

Just then, right there in his line of sight, neatly tucked away in a hidden gap between the drawers and the back panel of the old worn down desk, something caught his eye. "No fuckin' way." He swore once more as he dropped the papers in his hands mindlessly to the floor and reached for the book crammed into the tight spot.

A big notebook sized book with sturdy cardboard binding that revealed nothing from the outside about what the inside would entail.

He blindly stood, never taking his eyes off of his finding and sat back into the old chair as he opened the book in his hands.

His hands turned the pages quickly, one after the other and it was clear as day to him, that this was in fact his father's handwriting, but what took him by surprise to see little notes here and there, that were definitely his mom's writing as well.

_What the hell is this?_ He wondered before he turned to the very first page and began reading.

_When you're all grown up, you'll have heard stories about us. Stories about your mother and me, about how we met and what not. Some things you'll read in old newspaper archives and online reports, some stories you'll hear straight from aunt Claire, or aunt Cassidy or other people pretending they knew us. But this story here is going to be different than anything you'll ever read or hear about us from anyone else. Because, Son, this here is the real story about how I met your mother._

He dug out his phone in a hurry and dialed her number again, "Hey, I think I just found it. I'm on my way."

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Knoxville, Tennessee

Late December 2009

"Can't sleep?"

The voice startled James and he quickly looked up from the laptop screen in front of him to see the older man step into view. "Tryin' to give me a heart attack, Sarge? That's the new plan to get rid of me once an' for all?"

Sam took a seat in the armchair closer to the lit fireplace and shook his head, his voice sounding amused with the banter, "Nah, son, I gave up on that notion, the day she said I do."

A smirk crossed James' face, when he replied sarcastically, "Sure you did."

Silence filled the room once more before James closed the laptop and placed it wordlessly on the coffee table in front of him. He reached for his half empty bottle of beer and took a long swig before he relaxed back into the leather couch and stretched his legs out in front of him, his eyes taking in the small flickering of the fire burning in front of them.

"What's on your mind?" Sam asked quietly, his eye scanning the younger man's face.

"Everything." Came his heavy reply when his eyes connected with Sam's, but before Sam could speak up, James decided to clarify. "Money, Kate ..." A heavy sigh, "… and the baby." He added with emphasis on the latter.

Sam nodded in understanding and turned his full attention now to James, "Katie made it sound like money wasn't an issue anymore. She said that Hurley helped you guys out."

"He did." James nodded, "Once again, the big guy came through for us, and we're set right now, but … with the kid on the way, I …" he paused, unsure if he wanted to admit his fears and self doubt in front of his father-in-law.

But the older man quickly spoke up when he realized James' hesitation, "You're worried about being able to provide for your family. You're worried about getting a job."

James nodded again and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees as he rubbed both hands over his face, a vain attempt to hide the emotions he was unable to keep from displaying.

"Son, you're young, in good health and have a good head on your shoulders, I've got no doubt that you'll find a job sooner or later."

Another nod of agreement before he cleared his throat, "Problem is, Sarge, … the problem is the only thing I've ever been good at is conning."

This time Sam nodded in agreement, this wasn't news to him, "If you're smart enough to do that, then you're smart enough to make some good use of that brain o'yours too, Son."

_Easier said than done!_

A moment of silence passed between the two men, when Sam stated a surprising proposal, "In the meantime, since Claire and her mom are now looking for a place around here, have Kate and you thought about selling her a piece of this land?"

"What do you mean?" James asked surprised in return.

"I mean, if you sold her a big enough plot to build on, she could stop looking for a place to live and it would give you guys some more income to set aside. Just a thought."

"That's actually not a bad idea, Sarge." James warmed up to the idea the longer he thought about it.

Kate had been so worried about Claire finding a place to her liking. She feared that if she wouldn't find anything soon, she'd change her mind again and move back to L.A. or worse, Australia.

This would solve all of Kate's worries. He knew she would love having Aaron this close and truth be told, he wouldn't mind either having Claire and the kid live right next door. That way Clementine would have someone to play with whenever Cassidy would let him have her for a weekend.

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One month later

Kate wrapped the blanket around herself and stepped barefoot out onto their balcony. She raised her hand to her head, trying to shield her eyes from the bright sun as she took in the beautiful scenery that was her backyard.

The noise echoing through the woods was obnoxious, but deemed necessary. A little ways down the dirt road, not as close to the lake as they were, constructions were in full swing to get Claire's new home build. The foundation had been poured in record time and the framework had been finished just as quickly. The house was coming along steadily and hopefully would be move-in ready in a couple of months from now.

Meanwhile, the Littletons returned to L.A. to get all of their affairs in order.

With the balcony doors wide open, the cold January air rushed into the bedroom and caused James to reach blindly for the blanket, but to no avail.

He blinked a few times to adjust is eyes to the morning light and a smile crossed his face when he saw Kate standing on the balcony, wrapped up in the blanket he'd been looking for.

"Once a thief, always a thief." He teased her as he wrapped the thin cotton sheet around himself instead.

Kate turned at the sound of his voice, "What?" she asked confused.

"You stole my blanket." He replied as he sat up against the headboard, and padded the spot beside him, "Now why don't you come over here and warm me up again?"

She smirked at that and came back inside, closing the glass French doors behind her before she climbed back in bed next to him.

"Can't really call it stolen when I already own it." She stated when she shared her blanket with him as she snuggled up against him.

"You say potatoes, I say …"

She pressed her lips to his before he could finish his sentence, then climbed out of bed and headed into the bathroom.

He checked the time on his phone, "What time's your appointment, Freckles?"

The water turned on in the shower, but she stepped back into the bedroom to answer, "It's at noon."

"Noon." He repeated and Kate disappeared back into the bathroom. He reached for the book on his nightstand and opened it to the ultrasound picture of the baby that he'd been using religiously as a bookmark.

He stared at the grainy image that didn't reveal a whole lot just yet, but still captured his attention more often then he'd like to admit.

But this doctor appointment today was a big one. One top of her regular check up, they'd do another ultrasound today that could very well reveal whether they were having a boy or a girl.

Kate and him both had been telling people that it wouldn't matter either way, and that was the truth to some extent … but whenever he pictured what their child would look like a couple years from now, more often than not did he imagine a little blond haired tomboy, instead of a freckled faced little girl with unruly curls. But the thought of either one made his heart constrict in a way that was both terrifying and elating all the same.

James carefully tucked the picture back into the book, before he climbed out of bed and decided to join his wife in the shower.

XX

He couldn't shake the feeling that all eyes were on him while they sat in the small waiting room at Dr. Dickson's small town practice, waiting to be seen.

He was surrounded by women, some obviously pregnant, some not, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this out of place in a room full of women.

"Uhhh." Kate twisted in the chair right beside him.

"What's wrong?" His concerned voice echoed through the small room and caught all the women's attention once more.

Kate reached for his hand and placed it firmly against her left side, "Do you feel that? I'm getting kicked."

He nodded and tried to hide the smile that spread across his face up on feeling the movement against the palm of his hand.

Just then 'Mrs. Ford' was called and it was time them to see the doctor.

X

Kate climbed onto the examining chair, pulled her shirt all the way up under her chest and tucked the waistband of her jeans as far down as she could without exposing herself, while Dr. Dickson pulled out a bottle of gel and placed it on the small tray sitting beside her.

James stood wordlessly by Kate's side, more nervous than he'd like to admit. They'd already done this a couple of month back on the island. The first time he saw that little thing inside of her displayed on a screen was a feeling he'd never known before, but today felt altogether different.

They were having a baby and so far so good, every test and every check-up had come back okay, so the health of the kid was no longer in question. But today they could finally find out what they were having, and someway, somehow that made it all the more real!

The doctor made small talk, asking this and that, while making quick work on the sonogram machine in front of them. The older woman gave Kate a quick warning that the gel would be cold before she squirted a small amount onto Kate's extended stomach.

When the images began to form and the heartbeat could be heard throughout the small examining room, Kate reached for James hand as they both took the scene in before them.

_Now that's what you call a damn baby!_

Clear as day, there it was, the head, arms, legs and the spine!

One hand moving the wand around, while the other one worked buttons on the machine, Dr. Dickson gave the couple an approving nod, "Everything looks perfect." She beamed at them with a heartwarming smile and a southern drawl, "Have ya'll decided if ya' wanna know the sex?"

Kate looked up at James for just the briefest moment and they both nodded in unison, "Yeah, we would like to know."

A glance at the screen before them and a few quick moves of the ultrasound wand on Kate's belly, she pointed a manicured finger at the screen, and yet again with a southern drawl that put James' to shame she said, "That's a leg right there and that's the other leg, and you see that thing right there, well, you know what that means!"

_A boy!_

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**End Note:** So there it is, short, I know, but I hope someone still cares enough to read and leave a few words, so I'll know if it's worth trying to find the time to keep on writing about this couple. I hope I didn't confuse you all too much with that look into the future at the beginning, it won't be too much of a reoccurring thing … just something I did to spice it up a little.

So please, if you care to read about Sawyer and Kate some more, even if it's going to be mostly fluff and happily ever after stuff, leave me a few words … because your reviews is what keeps me motivated to put aside the time to write these chapters.

Like I already said, some things happened in our family, so I'm not sure I'll be able to update as often as I'd like, but I'll update as soon as I can, that's a promise. Thank you all for reading … xoxo


	2. Nobody's going to jail

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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**Author's Note:** Thank you for the nice reviews, I'm glad my long absence hasn't lost me my faithful readers.

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She didn't know what it was that woke her up in the first place, but she did know that she was still exhausted and in need of more sleep when she rolled over onto her other side and blindly extended an arm across the bed in his direction. It took her a moment, in her sleepy state of mind, to realize that James wasn't in the bed beside her when her hand connected with sheets and blankets instead of warm hard flesh.

"James." She asked into the dark bedroom as she lifted her head off of her pillow and looked around the room, blinking repeatedly to let her eyes adjust to the darkness. But there was no answer.

She reached over to her nightstand and turned on the light, and sure enough he wasn't there. Checking the time on her cell phone, she realized it was one o'clock in the morning, and when she touched his side of the bed again, it felt cold which meant he had been out of bed for more than just minutes.

Her heightened curiosity more nagging then her need for sleep, she got out of bed, reached for his discarded shirt from yesterday and pulled it on over her head.

The hallway outside her bedroom was dark, but the room across from hers was clearly lit, the light shining through under the closed door.

"James?" she asked again, just as she opened the door to the nursery.

The faint smell of paint still lingered from a couple of days ago when he'd painted the room blue and green.

"What the hell are you doing up?" James asked as he pulled the ear buds from his iPod out of his ears, the distinct melody of some old country song playing on quietly.

"I could ask you the same thing?" Kate replied as she stepped into the room and looked at him, donning a grey pair of sweats and a white t-shirt as he sat on the floor in the middle of the room, a screwdriver in one hand and an almost completely put together baby crib right beside him.

"Well …" He drawled, looking almost embarrassed and nodded towards the crib, "I couldn't sleep, so I thought, why not get this thing put together."

He hasn't been able to sleep much as of late, and as happy as they were ninety-nine percent of the time, she couldn't shake these thoughts about what was causing his sleepless nights.

"I woke up 'cause you weren't there." She explained her out-of-bed presence.

Still tired she sat down in the rocking glider and stretched her legs out on the ottoman as she rocked back and forth a few times, unsure how to ask the bothersome question in the back of her mind.

_Why weren't you there?_

He shook his head to himself and smirked that the dimples on his unshaven face were on full display. "Seem to remember a time when you couldn't sleep 'cause I was there."

Kate didn't smile or smirk back at him. She wasn't in the mood for jokes or teasing, she was simply too tired for any of that. "We were young and stupid then; I'd like to think we've grown up some since."

"That we have." He agreed as he looked up at her. 

"You do look tired, Freckles. I ain't gonna be that much longer, why don't ya' go on back to bed?" He smiled at her before he turned his full attention back to the couple remaining pieces of the crib that needed to be attached.

Kate yawned audibly, but at the same time shook her head at his suggestion, "I can wait. It looks like you're almost done."

A moment of silence filled the small room until Kate spoke up again, "This room's starting to look like a real nursery now."

"Yeah." He nodded, "It does."

_Smalltalk … why are we doing Smalltalk?_

"Now we can start buyin' diapers and stuff, get this dresser filled with clothes for the squirt." He added without even lifting his eyes off of the work he was doing. "Start thinkin' 'bout names too."

She couldn't bite her tongue any longer. "James?" Kate sat up a little taller in the chair and smoothed the shirt down over her thighs, "Are you having nightmares again … you know, about Juliet? Is that why you can't sleep?"

He frowned. She could tell even though his face was turned away from her, but he didn't answer, at least not quickly enough for Kate, so she spoke up again, "I thought we can talk about this stuff, I thought …"

"I ain't got no more nightmares, Freckles." He drawled and finally stopped what he was doing and turned around to give her his full attention now. "It ain't like that."

"Then what is going on with you?" Her accusing tone of voice echoed throughout the small room.

He sighed and put the tool in his hand down on the dresser and walked the few steps over to her.

She pulled her legs under her, leaving the ottoman empty for him to take a seat.

James sat and reached for both her hands, his eyes filled with sorrow, "I talked to Hurley."

Kate's heartbeat began to quicken when she immediately imagined the worst and interrupted him before he could speak, shaking her head, "We're not going back to the island. You're not going back, promise me, James."

He shook his head too, "That ain't what this is about." He tried to reassure her as his thumbs rubbed circles across her hands.

"I don't understand. What did Hurley want then?"

He sighed, "It's about Juliette's sister."

"What about her?" Kate's curiosity spiked once more.

"Ben and Hurley came up with this story about what happened to Juliette … you know, to give her sister some peace of mind."

Kate arched her eyebrows in confusion, "Peace of mind, how?"

"She knows now that Juliette passed away, just why and how … well, Ben's got that all worked out." James explained.

Kate nodded and thought about that for a moment, her eyes never leaving his, "So, that's why you haven't been able to sleep? I mean, what Hurley and Ben did for her was a good thing, don't you think?"

He nodded, "Yeah, but -."

"But what?" Kate was quick to reply.

"I feel like …" He looked away and rubbed one hand over his face, "Look, I just feel like I should check up on her, you know, make sure she's okay."

"You wanna go talk to Juliette's sister?" Kate asked somewhat surprised.

"Somethin' like that."

Kate looked away now and shook her head, "What do you plan on sayin' to her? I mean, you just told me that Ben cooked up a story about what happened to her … did he make you part of that story?"

"No, not really." He sighed in frustration, "I'm not even sure I wanna talk to her, Freckles. All I'm saying is I wanna drive down there, and see for myself how she's doing. Since I made it off of that damn rock, I feel like I owe it to Juliette to do this."

She looked away for a moment and let his words sink in.

Kate had a few skeleton's in her closet as well, some she'd meant to check up on a time or two, but never had the guts to actually go through with it because she was afraid of what she might find. But just because she was scared, it didn't justify denying him the chance to ease his troubled mind.

Her shoulders slumped in a surrendering way when her eyes finally connected with his again, "When are we leaving?"

"We?" he asked surprised and confused.

"Yeah, we." She nodded, "We're a team, remember?"

"Maybe the day after tomorrow, if that's alright with you?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

James got up and leaned over her, bracing himself on the armrests of the rocking chair and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

The fact that neither had stormed out of this room tonight, well, he'd call that progress.

Content and somewhat relieved that the nagging question had been answered, Kate got more comfortable in the chair again as she watched James get back to finishing up the crib for their baby boy. It was less than a minute before she closed her eyes and fell back asleep right then and there.

X

The crib was finally finished and the lack of sleep was starting to rear its ugly head.

He left the tools and packaging sitting on the bedroom floor, he'd clean it up tomorrow.

His eyes fell on Kate in the gliding chair. She looked so damn cute when she was fast asleep.

James walked over to her and ran a soothing hand up and down her upper arm, "Come on, gurl, let's go to bed."

She didn't wake, just stirred in her sleep, shifting her legs in a way that left her exposed.

James hadn't even realized that she wasn't wearing panties under his shirt until now, but her neatly trimmed dark brown curls suddenly had his full attention in more ways than one and the sleepiness he'd felt just moments ago had vanished once more.

He took in the sight of her in the gliding chair and for the briefest of moments; he could just imagine making love to her right then and there, with the chair rocking back and forth underneath her.

But disgusted and feeling just a tad bit like a pervert, he adjusted himself in his pair of sweatpants and reached for her arms instead. After all, this was going to be the boys' nursery and it just didn't seem right to get all hot and bothered for his mama-to-be right here and now.

He let out a grunt of exertion when he carefully hoisted her up, guided her arms around his neck, her head drooped onto his shoulder as he draped one arm around her back, the other under the bend of her knees and carried her back to their bedroom instead.

He carefully tugged her in and slipped into bed right beside her, before he draped one arm around her waist and let his hand slide over the expanded baby bell of hers.

"Freckles?" He whispered into her ear, but there was no response from her. She was out for the count and sex would have to wait until morning.

XX

James awoke to the smell of breakfast in the air. Groggily he reached for his wristwatch on the nightstand and squinted at it for a long moment until his eyes finally focused and he could see it, just to realize that it was already past 10 am.

He rolled all the way over to her side of the bed, rested his head on her pillow breathing in her scent as he closed his eyes for just a couple more minutes of sleep.

However the smell of food made his stomach growl in hunger and he finally got out of bed, pulled on his sweatpants once more and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

He couldn't help but smile when he opened the kitchen door to find Kate, her curls tamed in a lose bun, swaying her hips and singing along to 'making my dreams come true' that was blaring from the radio on the kitchen counter!

Kate danced barefoot in front of the stove with a spatula in hand. A full plate of pancakes, some slightly burnt, some seemingly perfect sat on the kitchen counter right next to her.

She flipped the two pancakes in the pan in front of her, before she put the spatula down, grabbed the fork and began to flip the strips of bacon, still dancing and singing off beat. It sure was a sight.

James watched her dance and sing just a little bit longer, before he cleared his throat to let his presence be known and Kate jerked around in surprise since she'd clearly not heard him come into the kitchen.

She stopped dancing and singing and her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink when she took in the grin displayed on his face, "How long have you been watchin' me?"

"Long enough to watch you boogie, Ginger Rogers!" He stepped up to her and framed her face with his hands to draw her closer and placed a sweet kiss to her lips.

His hands dropped down to her stomach, and he pulled back from the kiss just long enough to tease her, "Your moves ain't too bad, Sugarpop, but I wouldn't go audition for American Idol anytime soon."

She shoved him playfully in the chest and he pretended like it had actually hurt when he rubbed the spot repeatedly, and teased some more, "Hey, easy now, that's no way to treat the man that's making your dreams come true."

"Shut up, James." She pretended to be offended that he didn't like her singing, but at the same time she couldn't keep the smile of off her face long enough for him to take her seriously.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around, looking over her shoulder, "Breakfast smells good. I'm starvin'!"

"Then sit." She ordered and nodded towards the kitchen island that also served as a breakfast bar. "It's pretty much done."

"Need some help?" he offered, but she gave him a nudge with her protruding belly when she turned towards him, "Sit, James, I've got this."

"Alright." He conceded and pulled out a bar stool to sit.

Kate turned the volume on the radio down and proceeded to bring all the food over to the kitchen island. A plate full of pancakes, maple syrup, a plate full of crispy bacon, and a pan full of scrambled eggs. Two plates, forks, knives, and two cups of freshly brewed coffee.

They talked while they ate, discussing possible baby names, but so far they couldn't agree on a single one, let alone a middle name.

"I have a middle name." Kate proclaimed.

"I'm well aware of that, Freckles, but that don't mean our kid's gotta have one." He offered and took another sip of his coffee. "How about we decide on a first name first, Sweetheart."

"Okay." She agreed, "But I still think there's nothing wrong with having a middle name."

He shrugged and took another sip.

Silence filled the room for a moment with only the radio playing oldies in the background as big heavy raindrops began to fall outside. It had been pretty cold, but dry lately and the sudden weather change taking both of them by surprise when their heads turned towards the kitchen window simultaneously.

Thunder roared outside and Kate took a sip from her coffee, "I love the rain."

"I know." James replied and smiled back at her. "You mentioned that a time or two."

Kate smiled contently as she watched the rain drops hit the window, when James picked up a handful of scrambled eggs and threw it at her.

She brushed the egg off of herself and glared at him, "What did you do that for?"

"Just trying to get your attention over here, Freckles. That's all." He smirked.

"Oh really?" She raised her eyebrows and a smirk crossed her face as well, when she picked up some eggs and tossed them back at him too.

He ran his hands through his hair, but still smirked at her as he tried to get the eggs out of his hair, and drawled, "Darlin', darlin', … you're just gonna end up makin' a big ol' mess that you're gonna have to clean up afterwards."

"You started it!" She retorted in her best imitation of a preschooler, before she added, "Besides, I made breakfast, so it's your turn to clean up."

"Is that so?" He asked as he put his coffee cup down and reached for the half empty bottle of maple syrup and quickly stood up.

Kate jumped off of her bar stool just as quickly and took a tentative step backwards with her hands up, palms facing out, ready to keep him at arm's length, yet fearing his imminent attack, "James … come on. Don't. That stuff's really, really sticky." She tried to plead with him but to no avail.

He took off after her and chased her around the small kitchen. He could've had her more than once, but that big old belly served quiet well as a shield and a constant reminder that he couldn't roughhouse with her now like they used to before she'd gotten pregnant.

Her shrieking and him laughing, he finally grabbed a hold of her from behind and practically pulled her to the kitchen floor with him.

Tussling around between fighting and kissing, she eventually ended up on her back with him hovering right above her.

"Alright." She threw her hands up in defeat, "You got me."

That's when she saw him reach for the syrup bottle that had ended up on the floor next to them and began to beg at the mischievous look she saw in his eyes. "No, no, no … please don't." She tried to wriggle out from under him.

But her pleading found deaf ears, when he turned the bottle upside down and drops of syrup began to slowly drip and pour onto her chin and neck.

He tossed the bottle aside and dipped down right away to kiss the syrup off of her neck.

Kate closed her eyes at the sensation and her hands that were trying to push him away were now actually clinging to his bare back to pull him closer, but her belly was in the way.

He pulled back, his eyes filled with lust now and hers were too when she looked back at him wondering why he'd stopped. He wiped his thumb over the syrup on her chin, "Wanna taste?"

She nodded eagerly, her mind wondering for just a second where she'd get to taste him, but when he simply rubbed his syrup laden thumb over his own lips she was almost disappointed.

_Almost._

However the disappointment vanished when his lips crashed onto hers and he hungrily fought her tongue for dominance, but it didn't take long before things began to slow down and became more subdued and sensual instead.

James rolled onto his side, not wanting to put this much weight onto her stomach any longer and pulled Kate along to face him. His fingers roamed over her shirt, his thumbs teasing her nipples through the thin fabric until they hardened under his touch.

Kate's hands roamed down his chest, her short nails skimming the skin of his torso before she tugged away at the drawstring waistband of his sweats and let her hand glide inside. Teasingly playing with the patch of hair before she began to stroke him gently.

James groaned into her mouth and to her surprise pulled away from the kiss, but just long enough to yank the big shirt she'd slept in off of her.

Her nipples were already hard from his previous touch, yet he couldn't keep from teasing her some more as he ran both his hands over her chest. Squeezing and teasing her nipples, and causing her to moan into his mouth now instead.

Both their breathing was getting labored, but neither of them had any intentions of slowing down, more the opposite.

Kate pulled her hand out of his pants and began to push the fabric down past his hips, when he let go of her breasts and joined in to support her effort.

Tugging and pulling, and legs kicking, desperate and clumsily, not smooth like it usually is in movies, but the pants were finally off of him when he reached down for the panties she'd pulled on this morning. But instead of pulling the panties off of her, he took a hold of them with both his hands and tore them off of her instead.

Kate pulled away from the kiss now and stared back at him as if to say, _What did you do that for?_, but he simply tossed the ripped piece of fabric across the room and reassured her with a mumbled promise against her pulse point, "I'll buy you new ones."

With the belly too big now for him to be on top, he turned her on her other side and got closer to spoon her instead.

Kate moaned when she could feel the tip of him slowly entering her and reached blindly back, her hand tucking on his hips so he would begin moving, and James gladly obliged.

James held her body tightly against his as he slowly moved in and out of her. She was so moist, warm and inviting, he simply couldn't get close enough. He kissed her shoulder and teased her earlobe with his teeth while never disrupting his steady rhythm of thrusts.

It wasn't long before he could feel the familiar pull, the gradual build up that told him that his release was soon to follow, so he slowed down instead.

He wanted to draw this out. The feeling of being with her like this was too amazing to make it come to an end too quickly.

After all, this wasn't just some quick fuck!

_Hell no!_

This was making love to his wife! So he took his time!

"James?" She moaned pleadingly and tugged on his hip to get him to pick up the pace again.

"Shhhh …" He tried to placate her with whispers in her ear. "No need to rush this, Sweetheart." And continued on with the slower, yet teasingly pace, but did proceed to reach around her hips and let his hand follow the downward slope.

He let his fingers explore and stroke her with just the right amount of pressure, causing Kate to moan out loud once more and he could feel her beginning to tighten around him.

It wasn't long before James could tell she was at the brink of her orgasm and finally gave in and let his thrusts speed up again.

Kate came long, hard and loudly. Her quivering walls milking him deep within her until James too went over the edge and spilled himself inside of her.

Both were breathing heavily when his hips jerked against her for the last time and finally stilled.

He remained anchored to her for just a few moments longer, kissed her naked shoulder repeatedly before he eventually slipped out of her as he rolled back onto his back.

Kate turned around to face him now and James draped his arm around her once more.

The music could be heard over the sound of their still labored breathing while they remained contently still in each other's arms on the kitchen floor.

James leaned closer to her, brushing some hair that was stuck to her glistening forehead away and gently kissed her temple, "I love you."

"I love you!"

XXX

2 days later, on the outskirts of Miami, Florida

They had stopped last night in Gainesville, but it had been a long two days of driving, especially considering Kate's condition. Everything seemed just more strenuous now that she was in her last trimester of the pregnancy.

But Kate and James were on the last stretch of their trip now, heading down south on I-95.

The topic at hand once again was baby names, and both of them came to realize that it was a whole lot harder to name a child then they had originally thought.

It seemed that every name Kate found pretty or nice, James either didn't like outright, or he'd known a guy and didn't want his kid named after such and such. And the same problem occurred whenever James made his suggestions to Kate as well.

So enthralled in their own little world, neither James nor Kate noticed the cop car that started following them a few yards back until it was too late and the lights began flashing, suggesting they wanted James to pull over.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Where you speeding?" Kate asked perplexed and looked over her shoulder as James slowed the car down and pulled over on side of the highway.

"Probably." He admitted and grumbled a curse once more to himself as he began to dig his driver's license out of his wallet.

Just then Kate reached over and took his hand, and when he looked up he saw tears began to prick the rims of her eyes, "What's wrong, Freckles?"

Out of the corner of her eye she could see the police officer get out of his car behind them, but her eyes remained glued on James'. "I'll explain everything, James, but just promise me you won't do or say anything that will end you in jail, no matter what."

"What?" He looked back at her confused, "What the hell are you talkin' 'bout?"

Just then Kate dared a quick glance in the direction of the approaching cop and James caught the flicker of fear in her eye, "You know this cop, Freckles?"

"I do." She replied and begged once more, "Promise me, James."

"Fine." He retorted while his mind tried to put the pieces together, "I'll behave myself, ain't gonna argue with the guy. Nobody's going to jail." He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

The officer appeared beside the driver door and tapped on the glass. Kate wiped at her face to hide the tears that had fallen. James turned his attention away from his visibly upset wife and quickly rolled down the window, unsure what Kate was so afraid of and how exactly this guy fit into her past.

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End file.
